As a bipartisan group of lawmakers continue to negotiate on a $908 billion Covid-19 stimulus bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Thursday that legislation must include another round of $1,200 checks for people nationwide.
Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over the next federal relief proposal for the coronavirus and economic fallout from the pandemic.
The most contentious debates are over money for state and local governments that have taken a hit because of economic shutdowns related to the pandemic and liability protections for businesses from Covid-related lawsuits.
Direct payment checks have also become a key area of disagreement.
The current $908 billion measure does not include any stimulus checks for individuals, while the White House has floated a possible direct payment of $600.
“I am going to do everything that I can to insist that we make sure that every working person in this country gets a $1,200 direct payment,” Sanders said on the Senate floor Thursday. “And they’re not going to go home until that happens.”
On Tuesday, Sanders and Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon urged Democratic leaders to push for another round of $1,200 payments to adults and $500 to children — the same amounts that went out this spring as part of the CARES Act.
Sanders’ comments came a day after the House of Representatives voted 343-67 to approve a one-week stopgap funding measure to keep the federal government operating beyond the Dec. 11 deadline at midnight. If the House and Senate agree, there will be more time to forge a compromise on the federal spending package and the latest coronavirus relief proposal.
The Senate is expected to take up the stopgap bill to keep the lights on before Friday’s deadline.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, said last week he was deeply frustrated by the tactics of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and he hoped Congress could broker a deal before Dec. 11.
That changed this week, and in a statement Wednesday, Leahy said he was glad the House of Representatives had passed the continuing resolution to stave off a federal government shutdown while Democrats and Republicans continue to debate Covid-19 relief.
“We cannot — and will not — allow government funding to lapse in the midst of an unprecedented health and economic crisis,” Leahy said.
Although Leahy had struck an optimistic tone Wednesday, saying he believes Republicans and Democrats can reach agreement on the continuing resolution and the Covid-19 stimulus plan, he took a different tack on the Senate floor Thursday, criticizing Senate leadership.
“I don’t question the good intentions of any senator here. What I’m saying is we could have done this in June, we could have done this in July, we could have done this in August, we could have done it in September, we could have done it in October, we could have done it in November,” Leahy said.
On Thursday, lawmakers negotiating the Covid-19 relief package debated adding $160 billion in state and local aid and a temporary liability shield for companies.
However, members of McConnell’s staff told Democratic leaders that the GOP will not support that proposal, Politico reported.
Major elements of the $908 billion proposal include a $300-per-week unemployment benefit, $160 billion for aid to local governments, and $288 billion to assist businesses, which will likely be funneled into the successful Paycheck Protection Program.
The package could also deliver $82 billion to schools, $45 billion to the transportation sector, $26 billion to agriculture, $25 billion in housing and rental assistance, and $16 billion for vaccine distribution.
The White House, Senate Republicans and Democrats have been at odds over providing additional unemployment benefits for the millions of people out of work across the U.S.
Early in the day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters that lawmakers could not leave Washington without agreeing on a Covid-19 stimulus bill.
“What Mr. McConnell is putting forth in terms of liability is such an assault on American workers that I hope that the group goes nowhere near what he is presenting,” she said.
